PlasticPills - Philosophy & Critical Theory Podcast

There's big news on the news, and we thought we would take a poke at interpreting this event—if in fact it is one—and giving it an ideological status. Catch up on the whole series on ideology ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We have been talking about Althusser once again on the Pod, and in advance of our new dive we are re-releasing an episode about why Althusser might be important.

The conversation humorously navigates the complexities of First Amendment rights, blending personal anecdotes with political commentary. They tackle anxieties over quitting nicotine alongside the implications of recent election results, expressing skepticism towards both major parties. Misconceptions about political figures and the influence of donors are critically examined. The speakers challenge prevailing narratives around voting patterns, advocate for a populist shift in politics, and reflect on the entertainment aspect of modern political dynamics.

Slavoj Žižek, a Slovenian philosopher renowned for his Hegelian and Lacanian insights, joins influential theorist Nick Land, known for his ideas on accelerationism. They explore contemporary political futures, highlighting how various movements—from the optimistic radical democracies to the unsettling Christofascists—share a common trait: their extreme optimism seems implausible. The discussion also tackles the post-political singularity concept, questioning its impact on society and how it intersects with social media and the evolving landscape of ideologies.

In 1933, Bataille linked Durkheim's sociology and psychoanalysis to the rise of fascism over the border. The parallels to the present moment are hard to miss.Get the full episode and many more at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

MAGA Communism may strike you as contradictory and stupid sounding, but it is backed by 200 tweets of theory which include Marx, Lenin, Dugin, and Heidegger. We plunge the depths of the MAGA Communist tractatus: "MARXISM IS NOT WOKE" to explore its theoretical aspirations.Source text: https://x.com/InfraHaz/status/1672279505774448640Find our recent episodes on fascist philosophy ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We face the fact that only a Nazi could properly explain American politics.Get all episodes ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Back to business—we talk Aztec myths and Bataille on Sacrifice from The Accursed Share.Get the full episode and all the others at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We don't often have current events to cover, but once in a while the current events are Hegel. The Hegelian E-Girl Council was to be the head of a new cult, which fell into a Twitter flame war about a week after its launch. Our guest's studio was the physical origin site of the Hegelian E-Girl Council which first blasted into the real world in NYC, and then onto theorytwitter for a glorious week before bursting into flames for the internet's schadenfreude.This was, in our consideration, not the abortive event it may seem at first glance, but a sign for the near future of theory. Sorry for the ads but all public episodes are ad-free for free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills, plus moreFind Jreg's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@JREG and his podcast here https://www.youtube.com/@HSTPOD

We move from Durkheim to Marcel Mauss and his book The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. Referenced by Bataille, Levi-Strauss, Derrida and Baudrillard—this is a mandatory reading.The full episode and many more are available at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills